Safety device for street cars



July 7, 1931.

F. BELLAMY SAFETY DEVICE Foa STREET CARS Fi1ed`Apri1 21. 192s y 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N VEN TOR.

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July 7, 1931. F BELLAMY 1,813,139

SAFETY DEVICE Fon STREET GARS Filed April 21. 1928 2 Sheets-Shee 2 g5 d NVENTOR.

uNuEDsm-Es ijatented .uly 7, y 1931 TINIs BELLAMY, or nnnronn, MrcHrGAN v SAFETY DEVICE Fon STREET 'cAns ApplicationA mea April 21,V

My invention relates to safety devices for street-cars and has for its object to provide means whereby a street-car can beprevented from burning up when there is a short circuit which canonly be cut out by removing they trolley from "the trolley wire."` n Even though the current which drivesthe car Yis cut off, still the current romthe control box will burn the car unless some means kis quicklyprovided to [release the trolley from the wire.' `As heretofore constructed,the motorman'has no lmeans of removing kthe trolley from the wire except `tov goto the rear of the ,car and pull down ofthe `trolley with a rope as is now the-common practice.v Frequently street-cars are crowded and under such circumstances it is fdiilicult for theconductor to remove the trolley in timeto prevent serious accident. ,Many serious accidents have resulted from the lackof proper equipment to cut' olf the current from the street-car when there is a short circuit. An-

' other object of my invention is to provide means Y "for t automatically vlowering the trolley-'pole in the event thetrolley Vruns oiI the wire. f This arrangement'willsave the destruction of the wires and thentrolley-pole in rounding curves' and corners where the trolley not infrequently yruns olf the trolleywire. v The foregoing obj ects and others which will appear from-the specication are accomplished by the means illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. V1 isan elevation of a street-car'with my device applied thereto.

Y Fig. 2 is an'elevation of'part of the `rear of the car partly in section illustrated in detailfthe means by which the trolley is lowered from the trolley-wire either by the motorman Vor the conductor or automatically.. in

o Fig. 3 is a section taken on linel-f-Sjof L ,Fig 4 is a section taken ,onlinel lofy ig. 5 lis a section taken on linea-5' 'of rIn the accompanying drawings reference' numerals are employedto indicate'the several parts:

192e.y 'se'riai No. 271,848.' f

1 is the body of-'a street-car. 2'is the control box. 3l is a trolley-pole. 41is a trolley and 5 is a trolley-wire.y In most instances in thel construction of street-cars now em vplo'yed the--'trolleypole is pressed against theVwire-l by. means of a spring 6 and keeps theftrolley in contact with the wire to-`conveytheelectric currentto the car. 71 is 'avrope `connected tov the trolley-pole by meansl ofy which the "trolley-pole maybe drawn 'down to disconnect 'the trolleyfrom the wire.; 8M is a weight of 1 suilicient" size and material to overcome the resistance voithe spring 6.v4 To this weight lis. connected a liexible wire rope 9l which normally is slack so as tofpermit therise and fall of the` trolley-pole 3 without 'affecting the weight 8. Y This weight is-mounted in a cylindrical causing 10 which is connected to the roof 11 of thestreet-car and to the loor'12 in-any suitable manner as by b'eing'mounted inv a casing '13 secured to the floor by screws or bolts 14; This casing is bulged atg15 and apertured at 16fto permit `the 'passage o-jthe rope 17 therethrough; The rope 17 isfsecure'd to a spring 18 one Vend of which ts in a notch 19to normally support the weight 8.- The rope 17 passes-to the front end of the` car overa pulley 20 and carries on its end a ring 21 with which Vthernotorman may pull thcv rope 17 to draw the spring 18 from 4the notch" 19y 'which' supportsv the weight and permits the weight to drop.y The weight drops, drawing the pulley 4 away from the i conductor pulls on the rope 17 the spring l 18 passes from under the notch 19 onwhich the-weight 8 rests, permittingthe .weight to drop byvforce of gravity and withdraw thel pulley 4 from the wire 5 thus disconnecting the electric current from the car.v I have 'also 'provided' automatic means yfor dropping theV-trolley-pole beneath the wire,

" spring 18.

which consists in a wire rope 22 connected to the trolley-pole in any suitable manner and leading over a pulley 23 which is connected to the body of the car in any suitable manner. This wire is also normally slack to permit movement of the trolleypole in ordinary operation without affecting the rope 17 which is connected to the spring 18. In the event that the trolley runs off the trolley-wire the trolley-pole will rise rapidly pulling on the rope 22 which in turn will pull the Vrope 17 and withdraw the spring 18 from the weight 8, permitting the weight 8 to automatically drop and pull the trolley down below the trolley-wire. This is done so lquickly that there is little opportunity for the trolleypole to be bent and the wires destroyed. After the weight has dropped the trolleypole it is then in a lower portion in the casing 10 and it is necessary to put it back in position. I have provided means 'for doing this which consists in a bore 24 in the weight 8 into which a rod or handle may be inserted to lift up the weight above the spring 18 so that this spring will be again inserted beneath the notch 19 to hold it in its norma-l position. The casing 10 is slotted at to permit the implement with which the. weight is to be lifted to slide in the slot. To prevent the weight from turning I have provided a boss 26 on the weight, which slides in the `groove 27 in the casinglO.

rom the foregoing it will be readily seen that if the street-car becomes short circuited and the current is flowing into the control box the motorman can immediately pull upon the rope 17 and withdraw the spring 18 from beneath the wei lht f8, whereupon the weight will imme lately drop and disconnect the trolley-pole from the wire 5. Likewise, the motorman 'can pull upon this rope and withdraw the The rope 17 is accessible from any part of the car except the rear platform.

Having fully described my invention and its mode of operation, what I claim is 1. In a device ofthe character described, a Streetcar, a trolley-wire, a trolley-pole for conveying a current of electricity tothe car to drive the car, a trolley-pole actuating member positioned in one end of the car,

means for connecting said member to the trolley pole, and means operable from either end of the car to release said actuating member to disconnect the trolley pole from the trolley wire.

2. In combination with a trolley'car having an upwardly springpressed trolley pole, a rope leading 4from said-pole to within the car, a member attached to said rope and contantly tending to move downwardly so as to pull on said rope, a stop to prevent downward movement of said member, and a cord within said car and connected to said stop in such a manner as to be adapted, when tensioned, to move said stop to permit said member to pull downwardly on said rope and to thereby pull down said trolley-pole against its spring. v

3. In combination with a trolley car havan upwardly spring pressed trolley pole, a rope leading from said pole to within the car, a mem er attached to said rope and constantly tending to move downwardly so as to pull on `said rope, a stop to prevent Vdownward* movement of said member, and a cord within said car and connected to said stop in such a manner as to be adapted, when tensioned, to move said stop to permit said member to pull downwardly on said rope and to thereby pull down said trolley pole against its spring, said cord extending longitudinally of the car so as to be accessible at a number of spaced points therein.

4. In combination with a trolley car having an upwardly spring pressed Vtrolleyl pole, a rope leading from said pole to with-4 in the car, a member attached to said rope and constantly tending to move downwardly so as to pull on said rope, a stop to prevent downward movement of said member, and a cord within said car and connected to said stop in such a manner as to be adapted,- when tensioned, to move said stop to perlnit said member to pull downwardly on said rope and to thereby pull d own said trolley pole against its spring, said member comprising a weight suliicient to overcome the force of the trolleyspring.

5. In combination with a trolley car having an upwardly spring pressed trolley pole, a rope leading from said pole to within the car, a member attached to said rope and constantly tending to move downwardly so as to pull on said rope, a stop to preventy downward movement of said member, and a cord within said car and connected to said stop vin such a manner as to be adapted, when tensioned7 to move said stop to permit said member to pull downwardly on said rope and to thereby pull down said trolley .pole against its spring7 said cord eX- tending longitudinally of the car so as to be accessible at a number of spaced points therein, said member comprising a weight,

said member comprising a weight suliicient :i

to overcome the force of the trolley spi-ing.

` 6. In combination with a trolley carfhaving an upwardly spring pressed trolley pole, a rope leading from said pole to 'within the car, a member attached to said rope and -constantly tending to move downwardly so as to pull on said rope, a stop to preventfdown ward movement of said member, and a cord within said car and connected tosaid stop in such avmanner' as to be adapted, when tensioned, to ymove said sto to permit said member to pull downwar y on said rope and to thereby pull down said trolley against its spring, and a second rope connecting said pole to said cord, and of such a length as to be adapted when tensioned b extraordinary upward movement of sai.

pole, to exert a pull on said cord to move said stop, as aforesaid.

7. In combination with a trolley car having a trolley pole a trolley pole actuating member positione 1in the car, meansy con-` necting said member to the ole, and means operable from a number o spaced points within the car and operable to release said actuating member thereby permitting it to disconnect the pole from the trolley wire.

Signed at the city Wayne, State of Michigan,

apra, 1928.

FINIS BELLAMY. Y

of Detroit7` county of this 4th day of 

